Lemonada.
Hello there.
I want to tell you about another podcast that I think you'll love.
It's Science Friday.
In the evolutionary tree of podcasts, I'd say Science Friday is on the same branch as Brains On.
The show stokes your curiosity and pulls back the curtain on some of the most interesting science happening today.
One of their hosts, Flora Lichtman, was a debater on this most recent season of Smash Boom.
Best representing Bass in the Bass vs Bass debate.
She's awesome.
We love her so much.
So try Science Friday wherever you get your podcasts.
Brains on Universe.
But that part is easy.
Just join Smarty Pass.
You'll get access to ad-free versions of our shows, special online hangs with our crew, discounts on merch and more.
Plus, you'll feel great knowing you're helping us pay our debaters, sound designers, writers and more.
Join now at smartypass.org.
Thank you.
Now it's showtime from the brains behind brains on.
It's smash boom best, the show for people with big opinions.
Hi, i'm molly bloom and this is smash boom best, the show where we take two things, smash them together and ask you to decide which one is best.
Today it's a celebration showdown.
We Shalalala.
Hi.
And lifting spirits for Team Balloon, we've got podcast producer and improviser Anna Wegel.
Oh!
Oh!
Wow, this is so fun, and I'm so glad to be here.
And never late to the party, we've got Magda from Colorado here to be our judge.
Magda was a judge last season, where we learned she lives with lots and lots of bunnies.
She sings in a choir, is writing an Alice in Wonderland spinoff and dreams of going to a Renaissance fair someday.
Hi, Magda.
Hey, glad to be back.
We're so happy you're here.
So important question.
We need a bunny update.
What's going on with the bunnies?
OK, so my parents have built the bunnies a little bunny barn outside of the house.
So now they are no longer everywhere, but still definitely quite fluffy.
And we currently have 12 of them, but we are expecting babies from one of them soon.
Oh, my goodness.
Very exciting.
Do you have a favorite or is it like impossible to choose?
Well, actually, I recently have gotten a favorite.
Her name is Strawberry.
She's a little ginger rabbit.
She's so cute and fluffy.
And she likes me, too.
And she just looks at me, and I look at her, and we're like, hi, friend.
And she's like, hello.
I have an important question.
Is her name Strawberry?
Like that's like, that's how you're supposed to.
No, no, no.
Strawberry.
I just pronounce it like a child.
I see.
I see.
Because you just do things.
She's so cute.
And when you see cute things.
So adorable.
Yeah, I get it.
I get it.
I talk like that when I see cute things too.
All right.
So how is Claire going?
Oh, it is going incredible.
We're doing our last concert.
It's the spring concert.
We're getting to do a Leve song.
Oh, yes.
I love her.
We're getting to do From the Start, and it's got a bunch of choreography and funny dance moves.
Choreography.
Incredible.
So, you judged a little bit ago.
What did you learn from judging last time, would you say?
I learned that there's a lot of different ways you can tell the story of your side, with a lot of different crazy side effects.
And I love those crazy little tangential stories.
Yeah.
And I also learned that apparently I can do cute singing things and they can be arranged at the end of the show.
Oh, yes, yes.
You guys should go listen to Magda's.
Last time she wrote a little song for her advice for the debaters.
I'm wondering, do you have any new advice this time?
I think just, like, have fun, tell your story, and... make this a fun show.
I think we can do that.
Okay.
So will Magda crown candles the winner or will she say balloons are best?
Let's find out after we go over the rules.
Listeners, we want you to judge too.
Mark down your points as you listen.
At the end of the show, head to our website smashboomorg, and vote for whichever team you think won.
I'll say, Anna and Magda, are you ready?
Yes.
Let's get lit.
Probably let's do this.
Then it's time for the Declaration of Greatness.
In this round, our debaters will present a well-crafted, immersive argument in favor of their side.
Then they'll each have 30 seconds to rebut their opponent's statements.
We flipped a coin, and I'll say you're up first.
Tell us why candles are the light of your life.
Hello and welcome to Alcee's totally unconventional, 100% three-dimensional candle creation studio.
It's called... That's really what it's called.
Not the easiest to put on a business card, but who cares?
Here at we're in the business of making candles that capture the best moments in life, like this one.
It's called walking out of school on the last day before summer break sunshine, freshly cut grass, watermelon and freedom.
Oh, or this one warm oatmeal cookies right out of the oven.
That's one of the many great things about candles.
You can make any scent from grilled cheese or a snowy day to new sneakers or an old book.
It's like trapping a feeling and replaying it by simply lighting a wick.
People have been using candles for a really, really long time.
It's hard to say who came up with them first, but historians think it was probably the ancient Egyptians.
There are even paintings inside Egyptian tombs from 4000 years ago showing a type of early candle lighting the way for a boat.
Whoa, it's like really dark.
How are we supposed to know which way to paddle this boat?
I told you we should have waited for daylight.
Bro, I gotcha.
Check this out.
Ta-da, instant light.
Whoa, that's lit.
Yeah, literally it is.
Sure, balloons are fun and all, but candles have been essential to life for thousands of years.
Think about it.
Electric lights were invented only about 150 years ago.
Before that, basically for most of human history, candles were one of the main ways you could see in the dark.
Without them, People wouldn't have been able to stay up late reading their favorite book.
Ah, poop.
The sun's down.
I guess I'll just go to bed.
They wouldn't have been able to see what was on their dinner plates.
Darling, this looks delicious.
It's chicken, right?
Honey, I haven't served dinner yet.
That's your napkin.
And they definitely wouldn't have been able to find their way to the bathroom at night.
Ouch!
Who put this couch here?
Candles lit the way and helped us do more with our 24 hours of the day.
And of course...
They help us celebrate.
Making a wish and blowing out the candles on your birthday is the best.
You get to look around the table at your buddies, lit up by the beautiful rosy glow of the birthday candles, and then poof, blow them out.
Plus, can you imagine how awkward it would be if there weren't candles to blow out after everyone was done singing?
Happy birthday to you.
And it's not just birthdays.
Candles are a huge part of religious and cultural celebrations all over the world.
In parts of China, people celebrate the Ghost Festival, where they light red candles to welcome the spirits of their ancestors who, according to legend, visit Earth once a year.
In Sweden, they have St.
Lucia Day.
Every December, Swedes wear crowns of electric candles to celebrate light during the long dark winter.
Plus, there's Hanukkah, Diwali, the Day of the Dead, Kwanzaa.
I could go on and on.
But candles are an important part of all these celebrations.
Candles...
They make us human, light up some of our most important celebrations and come in tons of different scents.
Oh, that reminds me.
My candle creation workshop has a brand new scent that you're going to love.
It's called Victory.
Oh, smells like candles winning this debate.
Oh, wow.
A really stirring argument there for candles.
Magda, what stood out to you about Al Say's arguments?
Well, I loved the use of music in the thing.
As you can tell, I am a bit of a music nerd.
And I loved how it was appropriate to the theme.
And also, I like how you mentioned the Swedish holiday, because I am mostly of Swedish origin.
And so that was fun.
And also, yeah, it's funny.
Very funny.
Okay.
Anna, you get 30 seconds to make Alcee's points go up in smoke, and your time starts now.
Okay, really great points about how important candles used to be to us.
I appreciate the history, but now you just walk over, you flip on a light switch...
Boom, you got light.
We've moved on.
You know what I mean?
Plus, okay, you mentioned candles that smell like new sneakers and old books.
Why not toilet paper scented candles or locker room scented candles?
Yuck.
Also, we sang happy birthday to you in that Declaration of Greatness.
When's your birthday, I'll say?
Yeah.
February.
February.
So you lied.
To be honest, candles can be made of anything.
Light bulbs are made of planned obsolescence.
That's a big term.
But candles are forever.
And their scents make sense.
Even the locker room scents.
And they make so much sense that it's February all year long.
If you have a February candle and you light it today, it's still your birthday.
My birthday is not going to be over until 2029.
Or until it melts.
You know what I'm saying?
Once the candle melts, you just have laid out candle.
It's spread out.
You sniff more candles.
Oh, man.
What a mess.
Oh, my gosh.
Okay.
Well, coming up, we'll hear what Team Balloons has to say.
So stay with us.
We're back.
Candles sparked our interest, for sure, but now it's time to take flight with team balloons.
Anna, tell us why you love these floating wonders.
Hold on a second Hey, everybody.
I'm so excited to tell you all about balloons today.
They're joyful.
They're colorful.
They're a straight-up party in the air.
You didn't think I was really going to talk like that the entire time, did you?
Whenever there's fun, balloons are there.
Birthdays, county fairs, school dances, silly voices.
From a little nip of helium.
And endless games of keepy-uppy.
All that fun from just a teeny tiny rubber bag stretched around a pocket of air.
What an incredible invention.
Did someone say invention?
Who are you?
Why, Balloon Lady Sadie, of course.
Here, I made you a pig.
Um, thanks?
I'm really more of a dog person.
That's cool, but since you mentioned invention, I thought I'd teach you about how balloons came to be.
Today, they are made of rubber, latex, or other modern materials.
But the earliest balloons go all the way back to the 14th century and were made of dried animal bladders, like from pigs.
Hence this awesome balloon pig.
Yes, and here.
Is this a cloud made of a balloon?
Obviously, because balloons help us forecast the weather.
Oh, you mean weather balloons.
Meteorologists send them up into the air with special equipment attached.
That equipment measures stuff like atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity, and wind speed.
And speaking of floating up, did you know balloons are also a nifty way to get around?
Oh, right.
Hot air balloons.
Dang.
Balloons do way more than I remembered.
I know, right?
Hot air balloons are the original way humans learned to fly.
The first manned flight took place in 1783, more than 120 years before the first airplane.
Very cool.
And here, one more piece of balloon art.
What's this one?
A coronary artery.
It's part of the heart.
Oh, yeah.
It looks exactly like one.
I think.
I made it because doctors use special balloons to help with all kinds of medical procedures, including one to help clog arteries in the heart.
When arteries are clogged, blood can't flow well.
So doctors insert a tiny deflated balloon in there.
And then they inflate that balloon and it helps open the artery and pushes the gunk, clogging it aside.
Way to go, Dr. Balloon.
Now I got a jet.
There's a birthday party that needs me.
Smell you later.
Bye, Sadie.
Speaking of smells.
Ever notice how scented candles have the worst smells?
Like midnight orchid opulence or billionaire's study.
And candles on cake?
It's just inviting danger.
One time when I was a kid, I was at my friend's fifth birthday party.
I remember it like it was yesterday.
She went to blow out those tiny flaming terror sticks.
And I kid you not, her adorable bangs lit on fire.
She was absolutely fine, but dare I say, candles ruined her birthday?
Meanwhile, balloons are pure fun.
Even babies love balloons.
It's so cute to rub a balloon on the top of their head and see static electricity make their hair stick up.
Plus, how much fun are water balloons?
Some people don't like when balloons pop, but if you ask me, that's one of the best parts.
It's so thrilling.
You have to respect something that goes out in a blaze of glory, which is why I too, will go out in a blaze of glory and end my argument with
A floating fierce declaration of greatness for balloons.
Magda, what stood out to you about Anna's argument?
Well, I didn't know that thing about the unclogging arteries.
That's pretty important.
And I love the keepy-uppy mention at the beginning because Louie's just the best.
And my uncle... is actually becoming an aeronaut in Albuquerque currently.
That's someone who flies hot air balloons?
Yes, yes.
There's also, you said, a blaze of glory?
Huh.
Huh.
Huh.
Interesting.
Good catch.
Okay, I'll say it's time for you to pop Anna's points one by one.
You got 30 seconds, and your time starts right now.
Okay, first off, balloon flight not accessible to everybody.
Your uncle can tell you about that, Magda.
Also...
How do those hot air balloons get up there but with a candle?
Candles literally live in a blaze of glory all the time.
And candles have way less trash.
When the trash is there, when a candle is done and you have all that wax, it's fun to play with.
Balloons, when they're done, they smell like breath.
Ha ha ha!
Also, balloons never look like what they say they look like.
Dogs don't look like that.
And I didn't know they were made out of dog parts.
Can you imagine using a dog to build a dog that doesn't look like a dog?
Oh my goodness.
I've been up in a hot air balloon before.
I'm one of the chosen few that have been up in a hot air balloon.
And the flame was the worst part.
I felt like it was going to singe the top of my head.
It was so loud.
I couldn't talk to anyone.
I couldn't get proposed to.
Nothing good could happen because it was so loud and overbearing.
The balloon was the best part.
Magda, it is time to award some points.
Please give one point to the declaration of greatness that you liked best and one point to the rebuttal that won you over.
You get to decide what makes a winning argument.
Did one team wow you with logic?
Did another team's side feel more like a party?
Award your points, but don't tell us who they're going to.
Magda, have you made your decision?
Yes.
Yes, I have.
Excellent.
Anna and Alce, how are you two feeling so far?
Ooh, I am feeling squeaky and poppy and just sort of like I'm kind of in the way when people are trying to see forward.
Oh, wait, no.
That's balloons.
I'm doing fine.
And I'm feeling scared of flame and inflated with pride.
Oh, very nice.
That was good.
That was good.
It is time for a quick break.
Grab some cake, some punch.
And we'll be back with more Smash Boom Best.
You're listening to State of Debate, home to rage and rhetoric and awe-inspiring argumentation.
What's up, what's up, what's up?
It's me, Debate Dude, with a good attitude, Taylor Lincoln.
And I'm Debate Dynamo, Todd Douglas, here to tell you exactly what is up.
So Todd, tell us, what is up?
What is up is that we've just found another logical fallacy.
Ah, geez.
Don't they know that logical fallacies are mistakes that make your argument weaker?
What is with people?
What is with people, indeed.
But this time, the people are bears.
And this time, they're using the anecdotal evidence fallacy.
That's when you make an argument based on something that happened to you personally.
Let's take a listen.
Mama, can I have some porridge, please?
No, of course not.
But why?
Porridge is my favorite.
Last time I made porridge, a little blonde girl broke into our house, destroyed your chair, messed up our nicely made beds and got her mouth germs all over our porridge spoons.
So no.
No.
I will not be making porridge ever again.
Porridge brings trouble.
That happened once.
We've had porridge so many times.
Nope.
Sorry.
Never again.
Porridge is bad news.
Wow, that mama bear definitely does not know what is up.
She definitely does not.
I understand why she might be upset about Goldilocks messing with her stuff, but it wasn't the porridge's fault.
Indeed.
Something that happened just once is not enough evidence to base an argument on.
And that is what's up.
We'll see you next time on State of Debate.
Smash Boom Best.
You're listening to Smash Boom Best.
I'm your host, Molly Bloom.
And I'm your judge, Magda.
And we love getting debate suggestions from our listeners like this one.
My name is Nathaniel, and my debate suggestion is hot dogs versus hamburgers.
I mean, it's so hard to choose when you're hungry at a barbecue.
I'd say both.
Or corn.
But I know only one can win.
We'll hear who Nathaniel thinks should win at the end of the show.
And now it's back to our debate.
Balloons versus candles.
That's right.
And it's time for round two.
The... Micro Round.
It's time for a fact-off.
Anna and Al Say will each get three chances to make a micro-argument backed by a cool fact or idea.
Al Say went first last round, so Anna, please start us off with your first balloon fact.
Fact number one.
Balloons have been used to discover the universe.
As early as 1911, Austrian physicist Viktor Francis Hess made a daring series of balloon ascents as high as three miles to prove the existence of cosmic rays.
So what I'm saying is balloons helped unlock the secrets of the cosmos.
Ooh. is 72,585.
It wasn't some extremely old vampire's birthday or something.
It was just a group trying to set a Guinness World Record.
And luckily, no one had to blow them out with one breath.
They used fire extinguishers.
But imagine how big your wish could be if you wished on that many candles at once.
What a waste of a cake.
Yeah, a lot of hair got burned that day.
Balloons went to another planet.
Russian space investigators used helium balloons to transport atmosphere measuring instruments to Venus.
In 1985, the great year I was born.
Venus.
Candles can't even survive a light breeze.
Well, speaking of your Venus, here's your fire.
Perfect.
Candles in space are way different.
That's what astronauts learned when they brought candles up in a rocket.
Turns out, without gravity, the flame burns blue and is shaped like a sphere instead of a teardrop.
The best sphere in this conversation, I would even say.
Rude.
Okay.
Have you ever seen one of those super shiny foil balloons like at birthdays and stuff?
So they were invented for one of the most glamorous reasons possible.
The first silver balloons were invented in the 1970s.
I'll say his birthday.
Okay. for the New York City Ballet.
Fancy.
Fancy.
What time is it?
Oh, let me check my candle.
Oh.
Yep.
In the old times, before reliable clocks, people would often use candles with special markings to tell time.
You could measure how much time passed by how far it burned.
This was super helpful for telling time in the dark or on cloudy days or when you wondered when will these balloons be done?
Do you think you could wear it like a watch?
Hold really still.
Oh, man.
Really good facts, you two.
Okay, Magda, which facts stood out to you from this micro round?
Well, I like the one about the New York City Ballet.
That was interesting.
And we gotta love burning hair, guys.
I mean, so many candles.
Okay, Magda, it is time to award a point, but don't tell us who it's going to.
The criteria are totally subjective and totally up to you.
Have you made your decision?
Yes perfect, keep it a secret and we'll be right back.
Want Smash Boom without the ad breaks.
Join Smarty Pass and get an ad-free feed of this and all the other Brains On Universe shows.
Plus, you'll get to do virtual hangs with me and the crew, and you'll get discounts on merch.
Sign up at BrainsOn.org.
Thanks!
We're back to a debate worth celebration.
Candles versus balloons.
Time for round three.
The sneak attack.
This is our improvised round where debaters have to respond to a challenge on the spot.
Today's challenge is super fan.
Make up a team chant as if your side was a sports team.
Like if my side was debate, I'd say, argue, argue, make your case, smash your logic in their face.
Go debate.
Does this challenge make sense, Elsie and Anna?
Yeah.
Yes.
All right.
Elsie, you are up first.
Please give us your cheer for candles.
Give me some wax.
I got that wax.
You got that wax.
Give me a wick.
We got that wick.
We got that wick.
Give me a flame.
We got that flame.
We got that flame.
What's that spell?
Thousands and thousands of years of lighting the way and reading books at night and being able to cook and just a lot of good health for the community.
Yay!
I'm so pumped!
A rousing cheer.
All right, Anna, please, let's hear your balloon cheer.
Okay.
Blowing up, oh, oh.
Blowing up more, more.
Blowing up, whoa, whoa.
And no one's on fire.
Come on!
I thought your cheer was going to be...
That's the second verse.
Wow, those were both really good cheers.
I totally am on both of these teams now.
Okay, but Magda, I'm so sorry that only one of these amazing cheers can get a point.
So please decide which one is getting a point for this sneak attack.
Could be the one that got you up out of your seat, the one that's going to stick with you.
Have you made your decision?
I have.
Wonderful.
Then it's time for our final round.
In this round, each team will have just six words to sum up the glory of their side.
Anna, you're up first.
Tell us why balloons rise to the top.
Balloons are a vibe.
Candles, unsubscribe.
Was that even six?
That was six.
Okay, I'll say last chance to light a spark for candles.
Flame.
Light.
Stop.
Birthdays.
Wax.
Life happiness.
Wow, you knew about this debate right, i was speaking cave person, because that's how old candles are.
I really took us on a journey.
Yeah yeah, shout out to my neanderthals the suspense, the suspense.
Okay Magda, it is time to award a final point for this final six.
Have you made your decision?
Yes.
Okay.
Tally up those points, Magda.
Are you ready to crown one side the smash boom best?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Let's do that.
Okay.
Drum roll.
Okay.
Drum roll, please.
And the winner is... Candles!
Yeah!
So, Magda, what was your favorite moment?
Tell us.
It was so, so tight.
It came down to like the final six and I was just like, oh yeah, oh yeah, happiness, light.
I know you didn't prepare that and I don't care.
It really connected with the hearts, you know, straight from the hearts.
Okay, first thing, Anna, I love your name.
Oh.
I also, if you were a balloon, I bet you would be made out of a heart, a moose heart.
Aww.
If you were a balloon in the back then days.
Oh, thank you.
Current balloons you'd be made out of ballerina material.
Oh, wow.
Graceful.
Thank you.
And no one can tell with their ears, but I really like your face.
I think you're a kind person and I always feel good when I see you.
That felt really, really good.
After losing.
I'll say thank you so much for reminding me to be funny because you are so funny.
And I came armed with a lot of facts and figures but I was like, oh yeah, it's good to be funny and fun to be around.
Yeah.
So thank you for bringing the levity and the energy and the joy and for teaching me so much about candles which have such a rich history.
And I honestly love candles.
I know.
So thanks for reminding me of that.
You gotta love them.
This was hard to talk about balloons like that.
Balloons are so dope.
Yeah, I know.
I like the little ones.
You know the little ones you throw on the ground and they pop?
Yeah!
What a great pop!
What a great pop.
Why, we got to choose.
You know, teamwork.
The hot air balloon is really an instance of teamwork between candles and balloons.
So that's a beautiful thing.
Well, that is it for today's debate battle.
Magda Crowned candles the Smash Boom best, but what about you?
Head to smashboom.org and vote to tell us who you think won.
Two very special people.
Number one, I don't love losing debates, but if I got to do it, I love losing to Alce.
So this was so fun.
Thank you.
And also, I want to give a shout out to Rachel Breeze, who edits these episodes.
Yes, Rachel.
And Alce, how about you?
Any special shout outs?
Yes, I would like to shout out my nephew, Kaiki, who is currently my smallest nephew.
But one day will be big.
Those legs every day.
And shout out to the Good Camel Comedy Theater.
They are producers of funny people.
And if you want to learn how to be funny with them.
Find them.
They look like camels.
Magda, any special thanks or shout-outs?
I'm going to give mine to my uncle, who is on both sides of this debate, because he went to college, Carleton University.
With, I'll say, and is currently training to be an aeronaut, which was Anna's side.
So thank you for giving me a good topic.
Before we go, let's check in and see who Nathaniel thinks should win the debate between hamburgers and hot dogs.
I think hamburgers would win because it offers more variety and customization than hot dogs.
If you're between the ages of 13 and 18 and you'd like to be a judge, or if you're any age and you have an idea for a knockdown, drag out debate, head to smashboomorg, slash contact and drop us a line.
And if you're a fan of the show and want to keep it going, head to smartypass.org to subscribe.
We'll be back next week with a new Smash Boom Best episode, avocados versus raspberries.
Bye bye.
Adieu.
Sha la la la shine your light.
Also, impressive reflexes.
I saw you catch your phone while typing on your laptop.
That was crazy.
While talking.
Thank you so much.
